I have blogged at (tinyurl.com/zubrebuzz) and (tinyurl.com/zubrippete) about Buzzcocks, and Adrienne and I have podcasted at (tinyurl.com/spiralscratch) and (tinyurl.com/zublovespete). We named our podcast Singles Going Steady. I’ve covered this before, but Buzzcocks mean everything to me, and the new Domino Records 40th Anniversary reissues of Singles Going Steady and A Different Kind Of Tension are the best this amazing band ever did. It makes me feel sixteen again.
Both LP’s are lovingly reprinted on thick card stock with original Malcolm Garrett artwork, have the color inner sleeves, and come with a deluxe booklet (Jon Savage worked on a lot of this). The music is remastered from the original ¼ inch tapes, and the band and Martin Rushent’s production never sounded better. Plus, Singles is in a cool lollipop purple vinyl and ADKOT is in a bright yellow that are both fantastic. Zub has taken notice of the yellow vinyl.
When my sixteen year old self bought the I.R.S. Records version of Singles Going Steady (it was a collection of Buzzcocks singles collated for the US market) EVERYTHING changed. I already had the Sex Pistols record and was obsessed with Elvis Costello, but this was the band for me. The sixteen songs on Singles Going Steady whipped by at breakneck speed, but the melodies and the lyrics were something I jumped on. It was truly the ‘Beatles at 45 rpm’ effect. In chronological order, the single ‘A’ sides on side one, and ‘B’ sides on side two, Singles opens with ‘Orgasm Addict,’ a song from the earliest Howard Devoto era of Buzzcocks. The subject matter was just what a sixteen year old boy wanted to hear. Who write songs about sex addicts? Plus it was the funniest song, a good example being among the list of who Johnny-want-fuckee will sex up:
Children of God and the Joy Strings, International Women with
no body hair
Next is ‘What Do I Get,’ a lament anyone can commiserate with, set to a great riff and a minimal guitar solo(!). Also Steve Garvey’s descending bass is more than amazing. The lyric “I just want a lover like any other, what do I get?” is simple, economic, and plaintive. A perfect little line from Pete Shelley, chief songwriter and a genius lyricist. It a classic song in my canon, one of many Buzzcocks songs on that list. Here is my band covering it in the 90’s. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi3hs5GKCmc
The third tune is ‘I Don’t Mind’ matching trickier Ramones chord changes with all kinds of layering backing vocals. It’s a sad tale of a lover being looked over by their partner. It’s another masterful song with Shelley’s true from the heart lyric. 'Love You More,’ with it’s football terrace backup vocals, mines much of the same territory:
Oh my love again/what I say is true/though it may sound plain/ I Love
You
Then we have ‘Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve)’ which is a true Buzzcocks triumph, all rushing drums, crushy chorused guitars, and a great riff based on an E chord.The muted section in the middle builds it back up. It is the ultimate pop-punk statement all in two minutes and forty-one seconds. You can see why it was the grand finale (featuring all band members, all famous guests) of the Pete Shelley Memorial show last month at the Albert Hall in London. It is simply not just the pinnacle of Buzzcocks songs, but an essential modern standard. Here is my take on it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BH9qCQdXBFg
‘‘Promises’ has a jaunty attack fitted to a story of disillusionment:
We had to change/but you stayed the same/you wouldn’t change/ Oh what a shame
Shelley sounds hurt and bitter on this one. Things are changing as Buzzcocks progress. And they change dramatically with ‘Everybody’s Happy Nowadays,’ owing a bit to Kraut-rockers Can, It’s a blissful pop (hardly even punk) where Shelley discusses the illusion of life - but it’s okay, because ‘Everybody’s Happy Nowadays.’ His high chorus vocal is a killer with the mantra “life’s an illusion, love is the dream” oft repeated. This is the type of song I thought about plenty as a young pup.
Second in command Steve Diggle gets the next single ‘Harmony In My Head,’ a more straightforward punk riff (with the two-note solo from ‘Boredom’ repeated). Diggle sometimes is overlooked, even by Zub, but this is a solid tune and well put together. Still holds up today.
Side two of Singles Going Steady offers the B-sides of the aforementioned singles, and it starts with a doozie. The two chord rip of ‘Whatever Happened To?’ deals with the consumerisng and branding of love. The lyric is a stunner:
Whatever happened to twin sets?/Whatever happened to hi-fi?
Whatever happened to TV sex?/Whatever happened to you and I?
Your passion is a product of highlight and detail
That come-hither look, bonus offer retail
Whatever happened to pick-up trucks?/Whatever happened to yellow pages?
Whatever happened to burning books?/Whatever happened to new ages?
Your emotions are cheap, cut-price cash-and-carry
You wear your heart on your sleeve for any Tom, Dick or Harry
Your love is a cashed-in cheque/Oh, oh, that's the way of all flesh
Whatever happened to Chairman Mao?/Whatever happened to God above?
Whatever happened to the cow?/Whatever happened to plug-in love?
Your pasteurized life so fit for consumption
Ooh, those undressing eyes, so strictly commercial
Your love is a cashed-in cheque/Oh, oh, that's the way of all flesh
All flesh/All flesh
Following this up is ‘Oh Shit,’ a most negative kiss off to a lover. It’s as punk as Buzzcocks get but has a great guitar solo. “Autonomy’ is another Steve Diggle tune, led by John Maher’s amazing drumming with a choogling descending riff. Dealing with power and freedom in a relationship, it’s another great Diggle song, with a tight guitar solo ending. ‘Noise Annoys’ has a weirdly wonderful start/stop before going into an almost Dadaist musical approach with minimal lyric “pretty girls, pretty boys, have you ever heard your Mama scream Noise Annoys!” Again it has a playful Krautrock influence to it. “Just Lust’ is a dark punk song, the crunch guitars and chorus pedals going strong while Shelly sings of a physical relationship:
You're driven to possess, it hurts, it's so unjust
Just lust, just lust
If nothing matters less, then I wouldn't make a fuss
Just lust, just lust
I was slow to catch on
And that just makes it worse
If passion is a fashion
Then emotion is a curse
‘Lipstick’ is a true classic, using the awesome ‘Shot By Both Sides’ riff that was given to Magazine when Howard Devoto left. I get the feeling everything Green Day ever learned came from this song. Guitar riff, crunchy rhythm, up front bass, and insistent drumming. Adrienne once mentioned to me that this band was like a Swiss watch, with all the parts necessary to make the band tick. This song is a good example of that. ‘Lipstick’ is a good example of Shelley’s economical lyrics:
When you kiss me
Does the lipstick on your lip stick on my face?
Will you miss me
In your dreams does your lover have my face?
'Why Can’t I Touch It’ is an almost-reggae, dadaist masterpiece clocking in at six minute and thirty-five seconds. Again Shelley is dealing with illusions, but I think this might involve some type of drugs. The song always makes me smile:
Well, it seems so real/I can see it
And it seems so real/I can feel it
And it seems so real/I can taste it
And it seems so real/I can hear it
So why can't I touch it?
So why can't I touch it?
Buzzcocks kind of dub it up through this trip on the absurd. The rhythm section of Garvey and Maher really shine on this one. Side two ends with ‘Something’s Gone Wrong Again,’ another epic at four minutes and twenty nine seconds featuring the one-note piano a la ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’ and a great seven-note guitar figure. Shelley has a laundry list of complaints:
I turned up early in time for our date
But then you turn up late, something goes wrong again
Need a drink, go to the pub
But the bugger's shut, something goes wrong again
Something goes wrong again/And again
And again, and again, again and something goes wrong again
Ah, something goes wrong again
Something goes wrong again
Something goes wrong again
This song has a wonderful, out there solo in it that I’ve always taken notice of (and stolen). It sounds amazing.
Listening to this over and over, I can hear many things I’ve stolen in my own music, a turn of phrase, a lyrical approach, a single note guitar ending (like on ‘Lipstick’) , a weird chord turn. I’ve received so much from Buzzcocks and this LP helped form the punk rocker (and eventually musician) that I’ve become.
But wait...there’s another LP to talk about!
A Different Kind Of Tension was the last Buzzcocks LP before their first breakup, and as its title suggests, is kind of the sound of a band falling apart. I always felt Singles Going Steady was the sound of a band giving good advice about love, like an older brother looking out for you. ADKOT is the sound of that older brother starting to have a breakdown. The LP starts with ‘Paradise,’ and you can immediately tell Buzzcocks are a tougher, more muscular band. Martin Rushent’s production is strong. Pete Shelley exclaims:
Where in the world are we/Everything's fake nothing's real
I guess it just depends on how you feel/Why are you wasting my time
With questions when everything's fine/Why are things so nice
Is this the place that they call paradise/Oh, it's paradise
The music is hyper-fast, hyper-tight, and the chords use a four note pattern and modulate all over. ‘Sitting Round At Home’ is a great Diggle tune, muffled vocal, muted guitars, and faux-funk bass thumping in the intro before busting into a breakneck tempo. The lyric consists of the title mantra repeated, and a few lines like “Whatever turned you off, was it the turning on, Ideal state of mind, increase your perception.” Next up is the magnificent ‘You Say You Don’t Love Me,’ which I consider personally one of the best songs ever written. It’s a song that inspired me to be a songwriter. Simple and effective chord changes, judicious use of flanging on the guitar, a beautiful guitar solo, and the most amazing lyric:
You say you don't love me
Well that's alright with me 'cause I have got the time
To wait in case someday, you maybe change your mind
I've decided not to make the same mistakes this time around
As I'm tired of having heartaches, I've been thinking and I've found
I don't want to live in a dream, I want somethin' real
And I think I understand now the way that you feel
You say you don't, you say you don't
You say you don't
Even today, this song gives me the shivers. It’s the best Pete Shelley ever did, and he wrote a lot of great songs.
‘You Know You Can’t Help It’ is a more laddish take from Diggle, a tale of lust from the male point of view. Diggle gets a lot more songs on this record, and they generally hold up. This is a great rocker but for Buzzcocks a bit lyrically dim. Diggle immediately makes up for it with the frenetic ‘Mad Mad Judy,’ with rhythm section Maher and Garvey blasting away. There is an amazing, chorused bass riff set to an off chord that highlights the insanity described in the song. Diggle tells a Mancunian story at the end, leading into Shelly’s ‘Raison D'Etre.’ A repeating, insistent bar chord pattern that is not blues based underpins the song, which appears to be Shelley’s coy come-on to a potential boyfriend. There is an extended(!) and amazing guitar soloing part from the middle until the end. No one is Jimmy Page but Shelley and Diggle hold their own. This is another one of my favorite songs.
Side two opens with the frantic ‘I Don’t Know What To Do With My Life,’ a great song but sounding like a band falling apart. They would tour for ADKOT, but somehow to me Shelley’s songs do sound like he’s truly going to have a breakdown. This is illustrated by ‘Money,’ which in the right hands could have been a Joy Division song. It’s a slower tempo, with stabbing chords and a lonely, echoed vocal and lyric:
What is inside me/ Is caged here beside me
Life is a zoo
I'm labeled him/ And it's labeled you
Life is a zoo
Life's a zoo
You are a stranger/ But I'm even stranger
What can I do
Life's getting stranger/ Strangers are stranger
What can we do
Life's a zoo
This crashes into ‘Hollow Inside.’ I had read quite a bit of T.S. Eliot in high school, and combined with my Catholic school studies, kind of understood some of it. Obviously Shelley was cribbing Eliot’s ‘The Hollow Men.’ His poem grapples with the weakness of spirit, the impossibility of hope, and ideas concerning religious conversion. Shelley’s tune is a beautiful melancholia, with filigreed choused guitar on top of the hammering rhythm. His lyric intones: “Hollow inside? I was hollow inside / But I couldn't find out what the reason was / Why I was hollow inside? I was hollow inside / But I couldn't find out what the reason was.” As a young man this song made a true impression on me. What punk wrote about T.S. Eliot? Not even the mighty Costello would consider working that territory. I haven’t heard another artist reference Eliot since the amazing tunes of Scott Miller and his bands Game Theory and The Loud Family. Duly impressed. Next up is ‘A Different Kind Of Tension', another ‘laundry list’ song, offering up an idea and the opposite of it. The intro sounds like something Franz Ferdinand stole, and the tune has a futuristic production with bass runs, and spidery soloing. There’s even some vocoder! The lyric is like this:
Wait here, go there
Come in, stay out
Be yourself, be someone else
Obey the law, break the law
Be ambitious, be modest
Plan ahead, be spontaneous
Decide for yourself, listen to others
Save money, spend money
Be good, be evil
Be wise, be foolish
Be safe, be dangerous
Be satisfied, be envious
Be honest, be deceitful
Be faithful, be perfidious
Be sane, be mad
Be strong, be weak
Be enigmatic, be plain
Be aggressive, be peaceful
Be brave, be timid
Be humane, be cruel
Be critical, be appreciative
Be temperamental, calm
Be sad, be happy
Be normal, be unusual
Stop, go, live, die
Yes, no, rebel, submit
Right, wrong, sit down, stand up
Create, destroy, accept, reject
Talk, silence, speed up, slow down
This way, that way, right, left
Present, absent, open, closed
Entrance, exit, believe, doubt
Truth, lies, escape, meet
Love, hate, thank you, flunk
Clarify, pollute, simple, complex
Nothing, something, stop, go
Live, die, yes, no
Rebel, submit, right, wrong
Sit down, stand up, create, destroy
Accept, reject, talk, silence
Again, the simple yet complex ideas Shelley puts forth in these so-called ‘punk’ tunes are sophisticated and so forward thinking. Buzzcocks are nothing if not intellectually stimulating, and they rock! It all ends up with Shelley’s ‘I Believe,’ a statement of humanity and individuality bar none. There’s the twanging guitar, the chorused power chords, Maher’s all over the place drumming, and Garvey holding it all down. Shelley makes the ultimate proclamation:
In these times of contention, it's not my intention to make things plain
I'm looking through mirrors to catch the reflection that can't be mine
I'm losing control now, I'll just have to slow down a thought or two
I can't feel the future and I'm not even certain that there is a past
I believe in the worker's revolution
And I believe in the final solution
I believe in, I believe in
I believe in the shape of things to come
And I believe, I'm not the only one
Yes, I believe in, I believe in
When I poison my system, I take thoughts and twist them into shapes
I'm reachin' my nadir and I haven't an idea of what to do
I'm painting by numbers but can't find the colors that fill you in
I'm not even knowing if I'm coming or going, if to end or begin
I believe in the immaculate conception
And I believe in the resurrection
And I believe in, I believe in
I believe in the elixir of youth
And I believe in the absolute truth
Yes I believe in, I believe in
There is no love in this world anymore
There is no love in this world anymore
When he declares “There Is No Love In This World Anymore,”it’s somehow easy to believe. Peter Shelley sounds like a man who has sailed around his soul, he may not like everything he’s seen, but he’s not giving up. This is supported by the short ending ‘track’ “Radio Nine,’ imagining a world in which Buzzcocks are on all the radio dials. Kind of a happy, if fanciful ending. I felt like ADKOT was a true life lesson. I listened carefully, and I got so much out of it. I learned much about songwriting and not being boxed in by so-called ‘punk’ rules. I learned there is nothing better than a great melody. And I got a master class in lyric writing. Intelligent, emotive, economic lyrics. Often Buzzcocks are thought of as teenage music, but this is real world, grown up stuff. You really need these records, in your life, every day.
I believe in Buzzcocks.
---Steve McGowan